Blizzcon 2013 – Hands on with Heroes of Warcraft:Hearthstone on iPad

Out of all the games that Blizzard is busy with right now, Heroes of Warcraft: Hearthstone could be their biggest and most surprising hit. It’s a card game for everyone, and it’s ridiculously addictive. And when it hits mobile devices, I might never lift my head away from my iPad ever again.

For those of you who haven’t played it yet, Hearthstone is a simple yet detailed card game featuring familiar Warcraft faces with a more humorous bend. Characters choose an Avatar, build a deck and see who can wittle down the life points of each other the quickest.

The addictive part, comes in the form of the game being designed so that the flow of battle can shift at any time. Units may seem simplistic at first, but nailing the right combination of skills and abilities can change the momentum of a game very quickly.

That, and it’s a pretty damn attractive game on the visual side. HELLO NURSE!

Anyone who is in the Beta right now, knows this. They’re playing the game on PC, experiencing it all for themselves. But the game will be on more than one platform, as Blizzcon 2013 announced iPad, iPhone and Android devices were joining the fray.

I played it on an iPad, and this might just be my personal platform of choice. The user interface is exactly the same, but with the benefit of having to actually use your hands, it’s one of the better substitutes out there for shifting from real to virtual cards.

A random match pitted against another player quickly enough, and when I enquired, I found out that the game would be cross platform as well. So yes, an iPad Night Elf could cross blades with a PC Orc when the game launches.

I’m in love with Hearthstone. And when it’s out on iPad, I’m going to finally throw away my Yu-Gi-Oh Snap deck.

Last Updated: November 11, 2013